Copyright 2000, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

Janeway was standing in the center of the bridge, feet apart, hands on her hips, her body tense, waiting for something to happen.

"Captain."

She whirled to face him, "Yes, Tuvok."

"The warp core program has been disabled. It is off line."

"What did you do?"

"I did not do anything."

"What?"

"It appears," he studied the screen, "that Seven of Nine has managed to shut down the warp core program."

"Can you tell how she did it?"

"No, Captain. I can only tell that it is down. There is no longer a danger of a warp core breach."

"What is the status of engineering?"

He looked at the screens, "It is flooded with smoke."

Her heart was in her throat, "Are there any life signs in there?"

He stared at his screens a long time before answering, "No."

Harry jerked his shirt off and wrapped it around his head. "You stay here." Then, he opened the door and slipped out. Supala pulled it shut behind him. She would give him two minutes and then, she would go in after him.

He dropped to the floor and crawled toward the center console. That was the place he thought she would most likely be working if she was still inside. He felt the floor all around, searching for her. 

Keeping in one spot, he circled and reached out, farther and farther, feeling for her. Coughing violently, he had to stop for a moment and felt himself starting to lose consciousness. He pressed his shirt tighter against his face, fighting for a breath of something other than smoke. Dropping his head to the floor, he tried to take another breath, but once again, only drew in smoke. Choking, his body started to drop to the floor when he felt a hand on his back and a mask of some kind cover his face. It was an oxygen mask. He jerked his shirt down and pressed the mask to his face, breathing deeply. He gave himself a couple of breaths of the oxygen, then handed back the mask. He felt it pushed back at him and looked up to see Supala wearing a mask of her own. Nodding appreciatively, he secured the mask to his face and started his search again. 

He was trying to expand his search range when he once again felt a hand on his back, then he felt the hand pulling on his belt. He turned and was able to make out Supala’s form. As soon as he started crawling toward her, he felt something. Putting out his hand, he touched a foot, immediately recognizing that it was Seven’s. He moved up her body, feeling for signs of life as he did.

She was on her stomach, her head buried in her right arm and her left arm extended. He knew she had connected to the computer, somehow managing to shut down the program. He followed her arm and gently pulled at her hand, relieved that the tubules disconnected easily from the computer. He rolled her over, feeling for a pulse. His head jerked up, and he looked at Supala. Even in the smoke, she could see the fear in his eyes. She reached to grab for Seven and, together, they pulled the lifeless figure toward the Jeffries tube.

It took them only a few seconds to get her into the Jeffries tube, but Harry thought it seemed like forever. As soon as Supala closed the Jeffries tube door, Harry jerked off his oxygen mask and leaned over Seven’s still body, checking her. Then, he looked at Supala, "She isn’t breathing and I can’t find a pulse."

Ketaria could just make out Kathryn B’Elanna in the distance. She was moving as quickly as she dared, but she was having trouble keeping up with her. As they moved deeper, her unease grew. She knew this place. It was death.

Gradually, she saw another form moving in front of Kathryn B’Elanna and recognized it as Seven. 

Seven was walking slowly away from them, moving into the depths of death. Ketaria watched as Kathryn B’Elanna started running behind her, calling to her, "Mama! Mama!"

Seven stopped and turned toward her child. "Kathryn B’Elanna. You should leave this place. You cannot go with me."

"No, Mama, stay."

"I cannot stay, Kathryn B’Elanna."

"Yes. Stay!"

Ketaria stood back and watched as Kathryn B’Elanna stood in front of her mother, holding her in place.

"Help me!" Harry turned Seven on her back, positioning her head, and started mouth to mouth respiration. After a few breaths, her moved back, placing his hands on her chest, "When I stop breathing for her, you do this." He did a couple of quick chest compression, then looked at her, "Got it?"

"Yes." She moved into position beside him and waited.

Harry started mouth to mouth respiration again and Supala waited for his signal to do the chest compressions. After a few minutes, they changed positions and continued to work.

"How is the baby?"

"Stable." The Doctor’s reply was terse. "What are you finding?"

"She has a collapsed lung and significant head trauma. She needs surgery."

The Doctor gave him a worried look, but nodded his head. "I will assist." He turned to Tom, "It might be best if you waited outside."

He was frozen in place, staring at his wife. Finally, he forced his body to move toward the door. The Doctor and Kahkar did not even notice when he left.

Kathryn B’Elanna stood, defiant. Her mother tried to pull away from her, but she would not let her go.

"Kathryn B’Elanna, I have no choice. I must go."

"No go. Mama stay."

"I wish I could stay with you, but I have to go."

The child just looked at her mother and did not say anything. 

Seven tried again, "Kathryn B’Elanna, it will be all right. I do not want to leave you, but I have to."

Ketaria saw Kathryn B’Elanna’s body started to relax, and she heard her speak, "Mama stay. Mama not go away."

Ketaria watched as Seven slowly started to move back toward her child. Kathryn B’Elanna waited until Seven had joined her, then turned and started to lead her back home.

She started coughing and Harry and Supala broke off their work, exhausted. Harry reached out, taking her pulse. 

"It’s faint, but it’s there. Come on, let’s get her out of here and to sickbay."

They put the oxygen mask on her. Then, Supala grabbed one arm and Harry grabbed the other. Together, they started dragging her down the Jeffries tube.

Janeway entered engineering, followed by Chakotay and Tuvok. They were wearing emergency suits as a precaution.

"Seven is not in here, Captain," Tuvok was scanning. "No life signs…and no body."

Even through her mask, he could see the relief in her eyes. "Can you tell where she is?"

"No, something in here is interfering with my scans. I cannot seem to scan outside of engineering."

She nodded. They had found a strange electrical field signal in engineering. They would have to figure out what caused it later. Right now, they needed to get the smoke cleared out and assess what damage had been done. They would worry about the other details later.

"Chakotay, get the computer back on line in here and get this smoke cleared out. Then, get a repair team in here and see what we are up against."

"Yes, Captain."

She looked around, fighting anger and disappointment. Neither would do her any good right now. As soon as she was out of engineering, she pulled the helmet from her head and glanced over at Tuvok, "Computer, locate Seven of Nine." 

"Seven of Nine is not on the ship."

She stood thinking, "Computer, report on recent transports from Voyager."

"Recent transports are Lieutenant Tom Paris and Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres-Paris."

"Where in the world could she be?" She raised her head and gave the computer another command, "Computer, conduct a bio-signature scan for Seven of Nine."

"Seven of Nine is in sickbay."

As soon as the computer finished giving the report, she was moving toward the turbolift with Tuvok on her heels. It only took them a few minutes to enter sickbay, and they saw Harry and Supala working over Seven.

"Report!"

Harry did not even glance up, "I don’t know, Captain. She wasn’t breathing when we got to her in engineering. We administered CPR and got her breathing again, but her life signs are weak, and she hasn’t regained consciousness. I haven’t been able to communicate with the Doctor."

She immediately raised her head, "Computer, open a channel to Kahkar Omarahn’s ship. Janeway to Kahkar."

"Yes, Captain."

"We have a medical emergency here. Is the Doctor available?"

"He could be, Captain, but we are in the middle of surgery on B’Elanna." There was a pause, "It would not be advisable for him to leave right now."

Even over the communication system, she could hear the concern in his voice. She put her hand up to her mouth and closed her eyes. Then, she spoke again, "Where is Lieutenant Paris?"

"He is waiting outside."

"Thank you. Janeway out." She slapped her combadge, "Janeway to Paris."

"Yes, Captain."

"You are needed in sickbay."

She heard the hesitation, then his voice came back to her, "On my way, Captain."

Walking up to the biobed, she looked down at the unconscious face, then down at the biobed’s diagnostics. She did not like what she saw. Raising her head, she looked at the worried faces of the people in the room.

Tom Paris materialized and went directly to Seven, "What happened?"

Harry stepped forward, "She was in engineering. When we found her, she wasn’t breathing."

Tom nodded, absentmindedly, checking the diagnostics. "Her carbon monoxide levels are dangerously high." He looked up, "The Doctor really needs to take care of her." He activated the biobed, "I’ll put her on life support until he can get here."

Janeway watched as he set the controls on the biobed and monitored Seven’s life signs for a few minutes. Then, she tentatively asked, "How is B’Elanna?"

When he raised his head to respond to her, she saw that his eyes were full of tears, "She is pretty bad. When I left, they were still trying to stop her contractions."

"Oh, Tom." Janeway put her hand on his arm, "They will do everything they can."

He just nodded, unable to say anything. As he turned his attention back to Seven, the doors opened, and Ketaria came running in with Kathryn B’Elanna in her arms. Kathryn B’Elanna was crying and fighting to get out of Ketaria’s arms. As soon as they ran up to the biobed, Kathryn B’Elanna pushed herself away from Ketaria and onto the biobed with her mother. The child crawled under the biobed’s extension to lie on her mother, sobbing loudly. Ketaria put her hand on the child’s back, concentrating. Kathryn B’Elanna’s crying slowly subsided, and Ketaria followed her as she once again left awareness.

Ketaria saw them immediately. Seven was sitting in a dark place, cross-legged. Kathryn B’Elanna was standing directly in front of her. They were staring at each other. Then, Seven looked up at Ketaria.

"I must leave, Ketaria, but she will not let me."

Ketaria slowly lowered herself to her knees, "Do you have to leave? Can you not fight to stay?"

"I need to leave."

"That is not what I asked you."

"I must walk deeper."

"You must resist." She smiled, "You know resistance is not futile." She was rewarded with a weak smile. Taking a breath, she spoke, "She needs for you to stay, Seven. And, she knows it is not time for you to leave."

"How can you know that?"

"If it was time for you to leave, even Kathryn B’Elanna would not be able to keep you here." 

Seven looked at her child, "You are a special child. Mama loves you, Kathryn B’Elanna."

"Are you ready to return, Seven?"

Seven looked around her, thinking, "There is comfort here."

"I know there is, Seven, but it is not your place yet."

"Ketaria?"

"What, Seven?"

Seven looked into the depths of the darkness that loomed beyond them and took a long time to respond, "Safe havens are not always where we think they are."

"What do you mean, Seven?’

There was another period of silence, then Seven’s eyes moved back to look at her daughter, her look resigned, "It is time to go home, Kathryn B’Elanna."

Ketaria watched as Seven slowly stood and started walking with her daughter. She noticed that Seven kept glancing backwards over her shoulder, and Ketaria thought she saw a look of regret on her face.

Ketaria stepped back from the biobed and opened her eyes, taking a breath. She watched as Kathryn B’Elanna raised her head and reached to pat her mother’s face.

"Mama." 

Ketaria reached her hand out to make certain Kathryn B’Elanna did not fall from the biobed as the child shifted to sit next to her mother, placing her hands on her mother’s face. She watched as Seven’s eyes opened, dazed and unfocused. 

As she tried to draw a deep breath, she was choked by a series of deep coughs. Ketaria lifted Kathryn B’Elanna from the bed as Seven struggled to turn on the biobed, slapping at the extensions. Tom quickly deactivated the biobed and the extensions retracted. She fought her way to a sitting position, her body wracked by a coughing seizure. Tom quickly gave her an injection with a hypospray, then held her, giving her support until the medication could take effect. 

Once she had quieted and caught her breath, he pressed her shoulder gently, "You need to lie back down, Seven. I want to activate the biobed again and support your system."

She allowed him to lower her to the bed, fighting to keep her eyes open and looking around her.

"Kathryn B’Elanna." She weakly raised her arm and Ketaria put her child on the bed next to her. As soon as they were settled, Tom activated the biobed and the extensions raised over them. Kathryn B’Elanna once again reached up to touch her mother’s face, and Seven drifted into sleep."

Kahkar and the Doctor stepped back, sighing simultaneously. Then, they looked at each other, breaking into laughter.

"We are a good team, Doctor."

"Yes, we are, Kahkar." He looked down at B’Elanna, "I wasn’t certain we were going to be able to save both of them."

"Yes, but we did." He reached down and took B’Elanna’s wrist, feeling the strong pulse, "Her activities will have to be severely restricted, but I think that, between the two of us, we can make certain they will both be fine."

The Doctor raised his hand to touch his combadge, "The Doctor to Lieutenant Paris."

"Yes, Doctor."

He could hear the fear in Tom’s voice, "They are both okay, Tom."

There was no response from Tom Paris, but the Captain’s voice came back to him, "That is great news, Doctor. We are all relieved."

"Captain, is everything okay?"

"Yes, Doctor, everything is fine here."

"What happened?"

"Doctor, I will give you a full report when you return. But do not worry about anything. We are all in good shape over here. Janeway out."

B’Elanna heard the soft knock at the door, "Come in."

The door opened, and Seven walked in with Kathryn B’Elanna in her arms.

"Seven, it is good to see you."

She sat in the chair next to the bed, "It is good to see you, also. You are looking well."

"Thanks. I admit, I have felt better." She put her hands on either side of her stomach, "I can’t believe I almost lost him yesterday." When Seven did not respond, she asked, "How are you feeling today? Kahkar told me you had a pretty close call yourself."

"I am feeling fine. I will report to work when I leave here."

B’Elanna noticed Seven’s reserve and looked carefully at her, "Are you certain you are okay?"

Seven dropped her eyes to focus them on her daughter. After a moment, she said, "Yes, I am certain." Then, she raised her eyes back to B’Elanna’s, "Kathryn B’Elanna wanted to see you, but I told her you would not be able to hold her."

B’Elanna reached her hand out to the child, "No, but she can lie her on the bed with me. What about it, Kathryn B’Elanna, want to join me?" She patted the bed next to her.

Kathryn B’Elanna looked up to her mother who nodded at her, "It is okay. You can sit next to Aunt B’Elanna."

Seven helped her daughter settle herself next to B’Elanna and watched as she sat still. Seven knew Kathryn B’Elanna was reaching out to comfort B’Elanna. 

After giving herself a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of comfort, B’Elanna asked, "What happened after the console exploded?"

Seven hesitated, "Perhaps we should discuss that after you have fully recovered."

B’Elanna gave her a smile, "Thank you for being concerned, but really, I would like to hear about it now." When Seven stayed quiet, B’Elanna added, "I promise not to get…excited about anything you tell me. I will behave."

Seven quickly glanced at the rounded shape of B’Elanna’s abdomen under the covers, took a deep breath and started, "Once the console exploded, I ordered an evacuation from engineering. Then, I found you on the floor and another crewmember and I dragged you out. I went back in and set up an emergency containment field inside, and then shut down the warp core program."

"‘…and then shut down the warp core program.’ You make it sound so matter of fact. Seven, how did you do that?"

"I interfaced with the program and forced it to shut down."

B’Elanna nodded her head. She wanted to hear more, but she could tell from Seven’s tone that she would not. For a reason she did not understand, Seven seemed very reluctant to talk about the experience. Trying not to let her concern show, she pulled Kathryn B’Elanna to her, "I’m just glad you didn’t die in there." She looked up to catch the look on Seven’s face. "What, Seven?"

Seven quickly glanced away, and B’Elanna could see that she was struggling with herself. Then, she felt KB move away from her and raise her arms to her mother. She watched as Seven reached for her child and held her close to her body, closing her eyes.

"Seven, talk to me. What is the matter?" When there was no reply, she tried again, "You know you can trust me, Seven. Please, talk to me."

She watched as Seven struggled, taking a long time to respond. Finally, she spoke, her voice a ragged whisper, "B’Elanna, I did die in there."

"What?" Again, there was silence. B’Elanna leaned forward, putting her hand on Seven’s arm, "What do you mean, you did die in there?"

Seven’s eyes cut to her, "I did die. Kathryn B’Elanna would not let me leave."

B’Elanna did not know what to say. Before they could continue their conversation, Ketaria looked in the door, "May I come in?"

Seven stood, "Of course. I need to report to work."

"Oh, don’t leave on my account."

"Keta!" Kathryn B’Elanna reached for her.

Taking the baby from her mother’s arms, she laughed, "Hello, Kathryn B’Elanna. Have you had a good visit with your Aunt B’Elanna?" She looked at the two women in the room, and B’Elanna knew Ketaria was aware of the tension in the room. "And how about you two? Are you having a good visit?"

When Seven did not speak, B’Elanna replied, "Yes. It is good to have company." Laughing, she added, "I think I am going to get really bored being bed-ridden."

"Well, Kahkar says you don’t really have a choice. You and Tom are going to be our guests for quite a while."

B’Elanna nodded, a grim smile on her face. Kahkar and the Doctor had been very clear that she would be confined to the bed for the remainder of her pregnancy. It had been decided that B’Elanna would stay on Kahkar’s ship. Even B’Elanna accepted that it would make it less tempting for her to be off of Voyager. Still, it was going to be difficult stay inactive for the last few months of her pregnancy.

"I will make certain to keep you informed of our progress." 

B’Elanna noticed Seven was standing straight, with her hands clasped behind her as she spoke. She also heard the coldness of the tone. B’Elanna gave Ketaria a questioning glance. 

Ketaria saw B’Elanna’s look, then tried to change to mood in the room, "Does that mean you will be visiting us a lot, Kathryn B’Elanna? Will you be coming over to see your Aunt B’Elanna?"

Kathryn B’Elanna pointed to B’Elanna, "Bala."

Laughing, Ketaria moved to put the child on the bed next to B’Elanna. As soon as she did, Kathryn B’Elanna reached to pat B’Elanna’s stomach, "Baby."

They all laughed, and B’Elanna reached to put her hand on KB’s head, "Yes, baby." She looked up at Seven, "If Ketaria is willing, would you like to leave her here this afternoon? It would be fun to have her around for a little while."

Seven looked to Ketaria, who nodded enthusiastically, "That is a wonderful idea, B’Elanna. I would enjoy watching her, Seven. If you would like, that is."

"Actually," Seven replied, "that would be helpful. I do need to report to work in engineering. We have a lot of work to do this afternoon." 

"Good." Ketaria moved to sit on the bed next to B’Elanna, "Do you want me to bring her home later?"

"No, I will plan to return for her." She turned her head to B’Elanna, "And I will give you an update on our progress."

"I’ll look forward to it."

Giving a terse nod to her, Seven leaned down and gave her child a kiss, "I will see you later, Kathryn B’Elanna." Then, she turned and left.

As soon as she was certain Seven was gone, B’Elanna turned to Ketaria, "What in the world happened? She told me she died in engineering. What was that all about?"

Ketaria closed her eyes and shook her head, "She did die, B’Elanna."

"What?"

Nodding, Ketaria continued, "Kathryn B’Elanna stopped her from leaving."

"I don’t understand."

"B’Elanna, Seven stopped breathing and her heart stopped beating while she was in engineering. I was trying to get Kathryn B’Elanna to an escape pod when that happened. She knew when her mother died. She started screaming and…left her body to go to her." Ketaria looked away from them, "I went after her as quickly as I could. When I found her, I knew they were in the place of death, and Seven was walking away. Kathryn B’Elanna stopped her and then, would not let her walk any farther. She pulled her back. Not once, but twice."

B’Elanna sat, not knowing what to say. Finally, she spoke, "That is incredible. And a bit difficult to believe."

"I know. I am not certain I can believe all of it, and I was there."

B’Elanna tightened her arm around KB, "Well, sweetheart, you really are something." She looked up and saw Ketaria’s face, knowing from her expression that Ketaria was still thinking about the experience. She watched carefully, then asked, "What else, Ketaria? I can see from your face that there is something you haven’t told me."

Ketaria gave herself a few moments to think about what to say. Raising her head, she replied, "B’Elanna, I don’t think Seven wanted to come back."

B’Elanna’s mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed. "Ketaria, are you saying Seven wanted to die?"

"No," her voice was quiet, almost tentative, "I’m not saying she wanted to die, but I am not certain she was willing to fight to come back."

They sat, quiet, each thinking about what had been said. Finally, B’Elanna asked, "What is going on with her?"

Ketaria shook her head, "I don’t know, B’Elanna. I just don’t know." Her eyes wandered over to Kathryn B’Elanna and a smile came to her face. She pointed and whispered, "She’s asleep." Laughing softly, she looked at B’Elanna, who was starting to look weary herself, "I think it would be a good idea if you joined her. We will talk later. You need your rest." 

B’Elanna nodded and carefully slid down in the bed and cuddled up to the sleeping child. Ketaria pulled the covers over her and patted her on the shoulder, "I’ll check in on the two of you later. Sleep well."

B’Elanna nodded, and Ketaria could tell she was already drifting into sleep. It would be good for Kathryn B’Elanna to spend time with her. She decided she would talk to Seven about it. Kathryn B’Elanna would be comforting to B’Elanna and would provided her with some much needed distraction. It would also give her an excuse to spend more time with the child. And it would give her a good reason to have closer contact with Seven. 

Janeway was walking around engineering, kicking pieces of debris with her foot. The center console was a total loss. It would take a couple of days to replace it. Repairing it was out of the question. 

Still, it was not as bad as it could have been. While the warp core had sustained some damage, it was relatively minor and could easily be repaired. Not having B’Elanna in charge of repairs was going to slow things down, but Seven had volunteered to take on the job. That gave her some measure of relief. Still, it was going to be at least two weeks before they could undertake their transwarp journey again. That is, if they could do it at all.

That was still an unresolved question. They had not had time to determine if the explosion had damaged the transwarp coil. That was scheduled for this afternoon. She impatiently looked around, wondering where Seven was. It was unusual for her to be late.

Even as she had the thought, the doors of engineering opened, and Seven walked in. Janeway saw the look in her eyes and immediately understood why she had been late. She knew Seven had been standing outside of the doors, unable to enter. She couldn’t explain how she knew that, but she did.

"Seven," she moved toward her, giving her a big smile, "I’m glad you are here. Looks like we have a big mess for you to take care of." She put her hand lightly on Seven’s back and walked with her into the center of engineering, "I really appreciate your willingness to take this task on. I know you will do a good job." She noticed that Seven did not respond immediately and that her eyes were darting back and forth around the room.

"I will do my best, Captain."

"I could not ask for more, Seven."

At that, Seven turned to look at her, and she could see that her words had touched the young woman. Seven did not respond, but gave her a slight nod.

"So, shall we get to work?"

Without another word, they turned their attention to the task before them.